NPR's Intolerant Listeners

(David A. Keene – Town Hall) I was surprised, but not shocked, over the weekend when I opened my Sunday paper to read that more than a few National Public Radio listeners were upset that a number of conservatives had actually been interviewed by network reporters attempting to plumb conservative attitudes on a variety of public issues. The apparent thrust of e-mails and other missives from listeners was that NPR had no business giving a bunch of “right-wing nuts” access to its subsidized microphone.

Actually, the outrage of NPR’s listeners is important in that it reflects a growing tendency on the left to want to shut the rest of us up lest we contaminate their world and perhaps corrupt the young and naïve. Commercial talk radio has proved especially vexing in this regard. They’ve been unable to compete in this arena and have been examining bringing back the old “fairness doctrine” to force radio stations that air conservatives to give “equal time” to their spokesmen and –women, knowing full well that this would lead to the death of talk radio because no one would listen. Read more….

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